These Are Hands Down The Best Frozen Chicken Tenders To Buy From The Grocery Store

When it comes to comfort foods, you can't go wrong with chicken tenders. Beloved by people of all ages, chicken "tendies" are a staple of fast-food menus, but true aficionados always keep a couple of frozen bags at home. However, not all frozen products offer the same quality, and knowing which tenders to select from the grocery store can save money and spare your palate. In our ranking of frozen chicken tenders from worst to best, Foster Farms Crispy Strips handily earned the top spot over better-known brands like Perdue and Tyson. Described by our reviewer as "crispy, spicy, and a little bit sweet," these frozen tenders are the gold standard when it comes to store-bought options. 

Foster Farms got its start in Modesto, California, in 1939, and over time the small family farm evolved into a thriving poultry business. The company offers organic, hormone-free products sourced from humanely raised chickens and turkeys, a practice that yields "big, meaty strips [that] are covered in a generous layer of breading." We believe that these strips outshine those at KFC and Popeye's, and our reviewer even claims, "One could serve these in a high-end restaurant."

The wholesome nature of Foster Farms Crispy Strips could be what sets them apart from other brands. The product's ingredient list includes lots of recognizable elements, and the chicken itself is composed of "breast with rib meat and/or chicken breast tenders." In contrast to Foster Farm's pleasantly toothsome texture, Applegate Organics Chicken Strips (the second to last product in our ranking) "taste like a big mouthful of indiscernible chicken-y mush," according to our reviewer, who went on to describe the strips as "heavily processed blobs of ground chicken that have the consistency of salty oatmeal."

You can rest assured of quality with Foster Farms Crispy Strips, but is it possible to elevate a frozen chicken tender further? There are lots of easy ways to make store-bought frozen chicken taste homemade such as creating your own dipping sauce or custom spice blend. How you prepare the chicken makes a difference, too. While we loved the texture of our baked Crispy Strips, this product can also be air fried, which will make for crunchier breading. As for how to use these frozen chicken strips, they're a simple yet tasty addition to salads, or they can be combined with bacon, veggies, and ranch dressing for a quick and delicious tortilla wrap. With so many possibilities, Foster Farms Crispy Strips deserve a permanent place in your freezer.